Safeguarding Children:

Child Death Reviews

Worried about a Child?

Child Death Review Process

Any death of a child is a tragedy and enquiries should keep an appropriate balance between forensic and medical requirements and supporting the family at a difficult time. All involved in the child death review process must remember that the process is not intended to allocate blame, but to learn lessons.

The BSCB is responsible for ensuring that a review of each death of child normally resident in Blackpool is undertaken by the Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP). The Panel has a fixed core membership and the panel considers cases from across Blackpool, Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

The child death review process became mandatory in April 2008 and the BSCB is therefore responsible for:

1. Collecting and analysing information about each death with a view to identifying,

      (i) any case giving rise to the need for a review i.e. Serious Case Review, Multi-Agency Review, File Audit,

      (ii) any matters of concern affecting the safety and welfare of children in the area of the authority,

      (iii) any wider public health or safety concerns arising from a particular death or from a pattern of deaths in that area; and

2. Putting in place procedures for ensuring that there is a coordinated response by the authority, their Board partners and other relevant persons to an unexpected death.

BSCB is also responsible for ensuring that procedures are in place to ensure that there is a coordinated response by Board partners to an unexpected child death. Any death of an infant or child (under 18 years) which was not anticipated as a significant possibility, or where there was a similarly unexpected incident leading upto the death, would be classed as an unexpected child death.

Learning    

CDOP e-learning (external link) is now live for anyone who may need to be aware of the CDOP processes, the Rapid Response Processes or would like any information on themes/trends. To access the course, register with the Lancashire CYP Trust website, and once logged in click on the e-learning courses link on the left side of the screen.

Research Report - DfE Child Death Reviews: Improving the Use of Evidence (PDF, 1.99mb)

Parent / Carer Resources

When dealing with a bereaved parent or carer, these resources may prove useful.

Pan Lancashire Bereavement Services (PDF, 2.53mb)

The Child Death Review Process - A Guide for Parents and Carers (PDF, 2.53mb)